RealAcars, a freeware utility that went into open beta in August, has just released V1 for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The add-on adds ACARS to compatible aircraft, which increases possible communication with your aircraft by providing you with vital flight information and enables situational awareness like never before.
ACARS, standing for “Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System”, is a datalink utility that allows for easy and quick communication between ground stations and airline operators, and operational aircraft. It works two ways, reporting aircraft status to ground operations, and reporting critical flight to aircraft. This information can include things like take-off and landing information, aircraft loadouts, NOTAMs such as nature disasters or military operations, and more. Real ACARS also includes free text functionality, which is like a chat function that can be used for vital information, such as transferring football scores. ACARS first came into service in 1978, but it has since become a basic utility in commercial aviation.
RealAcars runs on information from SimBrief and transfers this information using “Hoppie”. This is a tool that allows for messages to be sent to compatible aircraft, which currently are the Fenix A320 line-up, FBW A32NX, PMDG 777-300ER, TFDi MD-11 and Leonardo MD-80. The Horizon 787 also has compatibility, but still requires further testing. VATSIM or IVAO isn’t needed for this tool to work.
The open beta version of the tool already provided information such as load sheets, take-off and landing data, aircraft changes, NOTAMs, such as air disasters or even things like rocket launches and more. V1 adds to this functionality, with features such as gate assignments, and it adds a user-friendly interface as well. You’ll now also get more report messages regarding your flight and aircraft, such as fuel and refuel reports, and provisional gate assignments before arrival. Support for SayIntentions ACARS has also been added.
You can download your copy of RealAcars from flightsim.to.
Feature List
- Preliminary loadsheets
- Final loadsheets
- Take-off report
- Landing report
- CONNEC schedule (airline’s connecting flights)
- Potential aircraft changes
- Next leg changes
- COMP related difficulties (issues related to operations)
- OBT log (confirming your off-block time)
- Rocket launches
- Natural disasters
- Funny messages
- Slot notifications (confirming origin, destination, EOBT, etc.)
- Special events (results of football matches, for example)
